The U.S. Postal Service has lengthened delivery speed expectations for packages to and from Alaska, Hawai`i and several U.S. territories utilizing two major agency shipping products, per a Sept. 25 agency notice.
The Postal Service said the changes to USPS Ground Advantage and Priority Mail shipment timeframes aim to increase customer satisfaction in affected locations "by providing more realistic service expectations in line with available transportation options and in consideration of travel distance."
USPS Ground Advantage, the agency's flagship ground package service, touts typical delivery speeds of two to five days. However, effective Oct. 1, Ground Advantage now has a 10-days-plus service expectation for packages to and from the following areas: Alaska, Hawai`i, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau.
"Days will vary due to the range of distances between some locations," the Postal Service said. "Most transit days have been adjusted, and some service expectations may be significantly longer than 10 days."
The Postal Service is also now primarily using surface transportation to move sub-pound Ground Advantage packages to and from noncontiguous U.S. locations, like how it handles volume over one pound, per the notice. Previously, the sub-pound packages moved using a combination of air and surface transportation.
"This simplifies product transportation and reduces the risk that [hazardous materials] items utilize air transportation," per the Postal Service.
The agency increased Priority Mail package shipping timeframes — typically two-to-three days — for affected locations as well "due to travel time and time zone considerations," it said. On Oct. 1, service expectations for Priority Mail shipments extended to two-to-four days for packages to or from Alaska, Hawai`i, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Priority Mail shipments to or from Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau now have a service expectation of two-to-six days.
The Postal Service said Priority Mail transportation modes and timing shouldn't be impacted by the adjustments. Rather, the change will align "service expectations with actual performance and transportation capabilities." The agency's Priority Mail Express service is keeping its existing service expectations for packages to and from affected countries.
More remote U.S. locations often rely heavily on the Postal Service for package delivery. Private carriers can choose not to deliver to expensive-to-serve areas or tack on extra fees, while the USPS is required to deliver to all Americans affordably under its universal service obligation. As such, the Postal Service "is the only delivery entity serving residents in some rural or remote locations," according to a Sept. 30 report from the agency's Office of Inspector General.
"Private carriers have flexibility to exclude some remote locations due to higher delivery costs, but USPS does not have this option as it operates under a mandate to provide nationwide service," the report said.
The service expectation adjustments come amid a broader network overhaul for the Postal Service, which includes a cost-saving transportation initiative that has hobbled on-time delivery rates for some packages from rural locations. Improved service reliability has been a priority for Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner since he took the helm of the agency last year.
